Recipe: Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine with Quinoa

I have a secret hidden talent.

It has nothing to do with cherry stems or my tongue or any ability to tie the former with the latter without any use of my hands. 

I know, right?  Bad news bears.




And it kinda sorta has everything to do with the fact that....

...I can see the future.

Fo realz.

Two futures, actually. 

Wanna hear em?

There's future number 1 in which we keep eating cookies and sweet potato cakes with reckless abandon until New Year's Day, when we wake up and realize that we have not a single pair of skinny jeans to wear and, uh, even our leggings with their ELASTIC WAISTBANDS feel kinda snug.  Yikes.

OR there's future number 2 in which we start to think about our arteries ASAP and conform to a little lifestyle choice that I like to call "moderation". 

Personally. I choose 2. 

Because (a) starting up a gym membership on January 2nd is super tacky and so totally last year.  Don't be that girl.

And (b) after-New Year's sales are good...but not that good.  Especially not if I plan on continuing to buy cookbooks at the breakneck pace that I do.  Priorities.  You know where mine lie.   



So.  How are we going to do this without seeming like the totally lame-o people at Christmas parties who nobody wants to find themselves under the mistletoe with?

First, we are going to make this tagine which is so richly spiced that it will satisfy every craving we thought we were having and is so full of nutrients that it will probably make our skin prettier and our hair shinier (gotta keep our eye on the prize..see mistletoe comment above).

Then, we are going to exercise.  Even if that means walking up the stairs at the mall instead of taking the escalator or carrying that 42" tv from the checkout to our cars, ten blocks away. If it involves exertion, we are going to do it.

And finally.  We are going to reboot.  Eat.Live.Be.-style!  In case you don't remember, Eat.Live.Be. was a group that was started by Cate and Sarah last January, the aim of which was to help us support each other in achieving some kind of new year's goal.  The way we did it last year was that we would post every Monday on a different topic.  Most of the topics were pretty specific, which didn't seem to work for everyone, so we're changing it up this year.  First of all, we'll be posting on Wednesdays and instead of having a highly specific theme, we are going to have broader themes.  There will be more information as the day gets closer, but please email me if you want to take part (jhbruno87@gmail.com) or leave a message in the comments!  The theme for next Wednesday is "magazines" so we're all basically going to write about some topic that's related to our goals that we found in a magazine.  We'll also be tweeting like mad about it, so definitely keep track of the goings on there with hashtag #eatlivebe. 

What are my goals?  I'll divulge next week, but let's just say that I have a back-to-running date of January 1st and a marathon that I hope to rock next November.  In the short term, just hand me a bowl of this tagine and I'll be good to go.  Future number two is on the horizon, after all.  And I hate being caught unprepared.



Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine with Quinoa
Serves 4, adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp raw ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled until tender
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup green olives, chopped
• 4 cups butternut squash, diced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (only if your butternut squash seems to be on the bland side!)
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.  Saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the quinoa, broth, chickpeas, harissa, honey, raisins, olives, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Add the butternut squash and continue to simmer, covered, for another ten minutes.
6. Mix in the cilantro.  Add brown sugar until the desired flavor is reached.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Moroccan-Spiced Root Vegetable Barley Stew...and a Review of Cookiepedia!

If you're ready for a seriously healthy (yet delicious) holiday detox recipe, then check out my post about this Moroccan-Spiced Root Vegetable Barley Stew on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

But if you want just one more cookie fling before the pre-holiday diet sets in...then keep reading!



We didn't do this whole holiday cookie tray thing when I was little.  If my mom baked cookies, they were from a stick of cookie dough that we purchased at the supermarket.

And let's be honest.  A whole tray full of chocolate chip or straight up sugar cookies, while delicious, is not much to look at.




No, no.  Part of the wonder and magic of the cookie tray is all the variety.  There are rum balls and barks and cookie bars and meringues and linzers and truffles...

I would go on but I'm veering close to that dangerous state of mind where I convince myself that it's a good idea to head straight to the kitchen and devour every single ounce of leftover dessert that is on my kitchen table.  (And trust me...there's a lot.)  You know...to make room for the impending cookie tray.  Obviously. 

Anyway.  To make up for lost time, I've decided to take part in FOUR cookie swaps this year.  F.O.U.R.

Please send bigger jeans.  And help.

And a portable dishwasher.



Where to begin in this cookie baking extravaganza?  Cookiepedia, of course.

This adorable spiral-bound book (making it SUPER easy to keep your page open!) is filled with tons of delicious recipes, ranging from crinkles to thumbprints to black-and-whites.  Basically it's got all of your cookie bases covered.

I made both the lemon chewies with honey and the chocolate chip cookies from this book (because really, how can you judge a cookie cookbook without making some CCC's?) and both were delicious.  The lemon chewies were tart and sweet and a bit salty, resulting in a burst of flavor whenever you popped one in your mouth.  And the CCC's?  Timeless.  Chewy, warm and exactly what you need to come home to after a long day at work.

Two down.  Countless more to go.  What are your favorite cookies to find in the cookie tray?

Inspire me.



Lemon Chewies with Honey
Makes 3 dozen cookies, adapted from Cookiepedia


Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey

Instructions

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set it aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until they look light and fluffy.  Add the lemon zest and mix to incorporate.
3. In a separate bowl, crack in the egg and add the honey.  Stir them together until they're fairly well mixed.  Then add it to the butter mixture and beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture a third at a time and let it mix in fully each time before adding the next batch.  You'll see the dough start to come together.  Blend just until it looks smooth.
4. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Scoop teaspoons of the dough and roll them gently into little balls.  Place them on the sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly with the tips of fingers or a fork.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set ad bottoms are golden brown.

For the glaze: Mix 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar with 1 tsp water and mix until a thick glaze starts to form. If the mixture is not runny enough, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time.  If mixture gets too loose, add more powdered sugar and continue mixing.  Drizzle over the cookies with a spoon and let dry.

Disclosure: While I received this book for free from the publisher, I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.  My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recipe: Sweet Potato and Ginger Layer Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Filling and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream

You must have a birthday coming up, right?

Or...a half birthday?  Quarter?

Alright, well.  Don't worry about it.  We'll think of something.  Anything.  To get this baby into your kitchen.

I'm a woman on a sweet potato cake mission.  You don't want to mess with that.



Yes, there are sweet potatoes in the cake.

I felt very "Jessica Seinfeld" about this.  Which, um, is never a good thing.

But then when I saw how many sticks of butter went into the filling and frosting...I forgave myself.  And forged ahead.




Butter makes everything better.  Especially vegetable cake guilt.  Truth. 



And if you choose not to tell your family and friends that there is an orange tuber lurking within the moist and seductive layers of this confection?  I'll totally understand.

My brother refused to try it purely based on this fact alone.

I would have argued with him.  But I totally took a "more for me" approach to this entire situation.  It was for the best.



So...tomorrow is your nine-month-and-four-days-till-the-real-thing birthday?

Perfect. Let's do this.



Sweet Potato and Ginger Layer Cakes
Makes two 8-inch layers to be split in two, adapted from Sweetapolita

Ingredients

• 2 lb sweet potatoes
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups cake flour
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 3/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and put a round of parchment inside, cutting out the parchment so that it fits the bottom of the pan.
2. Place the sweet potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and pierce them all over with a fork.  Microwave until they are tender, about 7-8 minutes per side.  Carefully remove the skin when cool enough to touch and mash the flesh into a coarse puree.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed (#6 on a KitchenAid) until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the oil and beat on medium until combined.  Add the cooled sweet potato puree and mix until combined.
4. Sift the dry ingredients together (cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger).  Add to sweet potato mixture.  Mix in vanilla and dark rum.  Gently stir in crystallized ginger.
5. Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pans (weigh them if possible!).  Smooth with an offset spatula knife and place in the center of the middle rack of the oven.  Bake until a knife or a skewer inserted comes out clean, about 40 minutes.  Let pans cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.  Invert cakes onto rack and cool them completely.

Whipped Toasted Marshmallow Filling
Adapted from Sweetapolita 


Ingredients

• 16 white marshmallows
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
• 2 tbsp almond milk or regular milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 7.5 oz marshmallow fluff
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place on lower rack of oven and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top (beware - they burn VERY quickly!).  Remove the tray from the oven and carefully turn them over until the other side browns.  Remove tray from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
2. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 8 minutes or until very pale and fluffy.
3. Add the sifted confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla and pinch of salt. Beat for another 6 minutes.
4. Add toasted and cooled marshmallows as well as fluff, mixing on low speed for 2 minutes.
5. Best used right away, keep at room temperature.

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes about 5 cups, adapted from Sweetapolita

Ingredients

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• few pinches of cinnamon, to taste

Instructions

1. Wipe the bowl and whisk attachment of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and brown sugar and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140-160°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot, about 5 minutes if you used room temperature egg whites. About 8 if they were cold.
2. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so). Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add softened butter in chunks until incorporated and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if it curdles, keep mixing on medium-low and it will come back to smooth).
3. Add vanilla, salt and cinnamon, continuing to beat on low speed until well combined.

Recipe: Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Manchego

Let's give thanks.

Let's give thanks for sisters who swear they're old enough to try tequila at age 15. 

For brothers who swear they hate ginger. (Even though they eat about a pound of your ginger pomegranate cranberry sauce.  Every year.)

For mothers who swear that the chicken broth they used in their stuffed mushrooms is vegetarian.  (And for aunts who help you convince them otherwise.)

For fathers who swear.  Period.



For every loud, rambunctious, screaming, yelling second of every family function.

For being able to wake up this morning and still feel full.

For orange vegetables.

Let's give thanks.



For the reason I wake up at 6AM.  (You.)

Every morning. 

(Even the morning after Thanksgiving when I am still full and might not want to think about food for another twenty-four hours when I get to do it all again at a bloggers Thanksgiving with some of my favorite ladies.)

For all the support you've given me.  Life lessons we've learned together.  Bad dates you've laughed with me about. 

For giving me something to be incredibly passionate about. 

For letting me fall in love with you.  And for never breaking my heart.

For making me smile.  Every.Single.Day.

I give thanks.



And as a token of my thanks. I offer you pie.

Now, I know you're probably all pie-d out (except for Amy who is NEVER pie-d out), but this is the good-for-you kind of pie.  The kind you want to have in your refrigerator this afternoon because, even though it tastes so delicious with it's salty manchego and tangy goat's milk ricotta and subtly sweet butternut squash...it's totally a health food. 

Don't you just love when that happens?

--

This was actually my vegetarian entree at Thanksgiving and it was loved by everyone at the table...even the self-proclaimed orange vegetable haters.  (Win.)  It's a Paula Wolfert recipe who is proclaimed by Gourmet Live's 50 Women Game-Changers list to be the guru of the Mediterranean.  After eating this...I certainly believe that.

For more of Paula's recipes, check out these blogs:

Mary of One Perfect Bite 

Val of More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne of Eats Well With Others
Claudia of A Seasonal Cook in Turkey 
Susan of The Spice Garden 
Taryn of Have Kitchen, Will Feed
Heather of Girlichef
Miranda of Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette at Jeanette's Healthy Living 
April of Abbys Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue of View from The Great Island
Linda of There and Back Again
Amy of Beloved Green
Barbara of Moveable Feasts
Kathleen of Gonna Want Seconds
Martha of Lines from Linderhof
Nancy of Picadillo
Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits
Veronica of My Catholic Kitchen
Annie  at Most Lovely Things

Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Manchego
Serves 4 as a main, 6-8 as a side dish, adapted from Paula Wolfert via The Wednesday Chef

Ingredients

• 6 sprigs fresh mint leaves, shredded
• 5 sprigs fresh parsley, minced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/4 lb butternut squash, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 large ripe tomato, grated
• 2/3 cup grated manchego cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh ricotta (I used goat's milk ricotta)
• 1 1/2 lb yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup almond milk or regular milk<./li>
  
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the mint, parsley, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper.  Remove and reserve half the mixture.  Add the squash to the bowl and mix well.  Add the tomato, Manchego and ricotta.  Toss to combine.
2. Toss the potatoes with the reserved garlic-herb mixture and add another 1/4 tsp salt.  Place half the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a generously oiled 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Taste a small bit of the squash-tomato mixture for salt.  Adjust if needed and spread it on top of the potatoes.  Cover with the remaining potatoes.  Pour the milk all over the casserole, dust with the flour and drizzle the oil on top.
3. Bake for 40 minutes.  Raise the oven temperature to 400 and continue to bake for 30 minutes, or until the gratin is brown and the liquid is nearly absorbed.  Allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

I have a plan for us.

A plan so utterly foolproof that we are not going to stress about a single calorie this holiday weekend!  And no....this plan does not involve tequila or amphetamines.  And especially does not involve mixing the them together in a large cranberry margarita and calling it a night.

Definitely not.



One of my pilates instructors gave us some pearls of holiday eating wisdom last week that went something along the lines of "if it ain't homemade, don't eat it!". 

And I thought...HELLO!  GENIUS!  It is so true that apple pie bought from the supermarket is just YUCK.  Flavorless crust.  Filling that is not infused with sweat, blood and LOVE (and um...strands of really long curly dark brown hair...)  No one needs that.

AND because no one in my family bakes except for me.  I'll be eating exactly two slices of summin' summin' on Thanksgiving.  No more, no less.  Fine. I was set.

But.  (And there's always a but.)

Then I started daydreaming about all the Thanksgiving pies out there.  And I started getting really sad.  Because that meant that pecan pie and cheesecake and apple pie were not going to be eaten on the big day!  And really, what is the point of eating a Thanksgiving meal if you don't gain at least a pound.  What else are you going to have to complain about from now until Christmas?  Seriously.

Solution - just make all the pies yourself!  Then you are officially allowed to eat them.  All of them.  No holds barred.

Which I seriously considered doing for about 24 hours until I realized this was not exactly the mentality that good old Kristen was going for when she led us through The Hundred and Rolling Like a Ball.

So I did the next best thing.  Which was just combine all the pies. Into one monster of a Thanksgiving dessert.

You can thank me when you step on the scale on Friday morning. 



This pie has it all.  A graham cracker crust, followed by a layer of homemade caramel and pecans that tastes JUST LIKE pecan pie, followed by an apple pie filling, followed by cheesecake, followed by homemade whipped cream and a topping of homemade caramel.

I brought it to a grad school potluck and it was the only dessert that anyone ate.  All the chocolate cupcakes and cookies and apple cakes went completely untouched.  Proof that this pie is saving you calories.  I bet you can't say that about the pecan pie your cousin picked up at the A&P a mere five minutes before arriving at your house.

I should also mention that instead of using butter in the pie crust and apple filling, I used Melt, which is a buttery spread that was sent to me by the company to review.  Melt is made up of a blend of healthy cooking oils, including organic virgin coconut oil, organic flaxseed oil, organic palm fruit oil, and organic canola oil.  And the best part is, that it can replace butter tbsp for tbsp in baked goods!  When eaten plain, it has a hint of coconut flavor to it (which I love) but when added into baked goods, that is completely unnoticeable.  All in all, I think it's a great butter substitute and way to reduce the bad fats in your baking without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 



Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Makes 1 9-inch pie, adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

For the caramel

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 1/3 tbsp unsalted butter (or Melt spread!), melted
• 1/2 cup caramel
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the apple filling

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (or Melt spread!)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced

For the cheesecake

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the topping

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3-4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 cup caramel

Instructions

For the caramel:

1. Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue to boil until the mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

For the crust:

2. Preheat the oven to 375.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.  Toss with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened and the ingredients are evenly mixed.  Transfer the mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the pan bottom and about 2/3 of the way up the side.  Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.  Pour a layer of caramel into the bottom of the crust and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans.  refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Mix in the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until bubbling.  Mix in the apples and toss well to coat.  Cook over medium to medium-high heat until tender and most of the liquid has been reduced, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes and pour into the prepared pie shell.  Set aside.

For the cheesecake:

4. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350.  Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Mix in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice until fully incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the top of the cooked apples in the crust.  Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate for four hours.
5. To serve, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and confectioner's sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.  Spread gently over the top of the chilled cheesecake layer.  Swirl caramel sauce over whipped cream.

Disclaimer - Although I received these products for free, I did not receive any monetary compensation for doing this review. My thoughts and feelings on them are entirely my own.

Thanksgiving Round-Up 2011

Confession.

I am totally a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants kind of holiday cook.  I finalize nothing until the day before, mostly because I am incredibly susceptible to being swept off my feet by the next best recipe to hit the blogosphere.  This, uh, "technique", as some may call it, may leave me susceptible to being caught with flour in every crevice of my body five minutes before my mother is supposed to pick me up.  But c'est la vie.  We're all family on Thanksgiving, right?

However.  Because I decided to allow a grocery service to deliver my groceries this year (Fresh Direct for those of you in the tri-state area. It's similar to PeaPod for those who aren't.), I had to make some decisions and fast.

So here it is...my (vegetarian) holiday menu!
Ginger Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce ...the only repeat recipe that will grace the table. My brother actually requested it after YEARS of swearing that canned cranberry sauce was the best thing on earth.  Win.
Maple Dijon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and Manchego
Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread
Autumn Delight Cake
Sky-High Apple-Cranberry Pie

And here are some Thansgiving Friendly Recipes of the Past:
Appetizers/Sides

Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash with Five-Spice Marshmallows 
Butternut Apple Cranberry Bake
Cranberry Chutney
Butternut Squash Puree
Slow-Roasted Beets with Buttermilk Blue Cheese, Arugula and Toasted Pecans
Orzo, Arugula and Butternut Squash Salad in a Maple-Balsamic-Coffee Vinaigrette
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, Pancetta and Parsley
Savory Pumpkin Knot Rolls
Savory Leek Bread Pudding
Fall Bruschetta
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Vegetarian Main Dishes

Thai Sweet Potato and Winter Squash Pot Pie
Stuffed Kabocha with Raisins, Apples and Cheese
Carrot, Dill and White Bean Salad
Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto
Roasted Pumpkin, Wild Rice and White Bean Salad with a Ginger Sunflower Seed Dressing
Roasted Winter Squash, Apple and Spelt Berry Soup
Butternut Squash with Pepita Cilantro Vinaigrette
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Curried Root Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

Desserts

Apple Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Swirl Icing 
Pumpkin Apple Pie 
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Pecan Pie Bars
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Macadamia Nut Pie
Pumpkin White Chocolate Chunk and Candied Ginger Blondies
Frozen Maple-Mousse Pie
Jelly Doughnut Muffins with Ginger-Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce Filling
Cranberry Blueberry Pie
Pumpkin Hazelnut Cookies with a Brown Sugar Glaze
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Pumpkin Pie Fudge


And...for a crazy awesome VEGAN dessert...check out my recipe for Avocado Pistachio Creme Brulee on Marcus Samuelsson's blog!

Recipe: Rosemary White Bean Soup with Fig and Walnut Tapenade

Soup is the answer to all of life's most rhetorical and profound problems.

Feeling cold?  Soup.

Feeling tired?  Soup.

Feeling like skinny jeans are just too much for you to handle?  Soup.

Feeling like you need a stiff drink in anticipation of all of the cooking meltdowns you know you'll be having in the next four days?  Soup with vodka.


Unless, of course, the question is "Should I run a 4 mile race even though I'm currently in so much pain that I need to bathe in Bengay every five minutes?"  Soup is not the answer for that person.  (A psychiatric consult, on the other hand...)

But for those of us who had to run walk four miles next to Bengay man/woman/other?

A house smelling like rosemary with a soup that tastes like comfort is totally our answer.  There doesn't even need to be a question.  It's just the answer.



Plus we need a way to celebrate the fact that we have completed our nine New York Road Runner races plus our one volunteer session this year.  And that we will, by hook or by crook and with a ton of physical therapy sessions, be running the NYC Marathon in 2012.

(Note - for those of you who don't know, since the NYC Marathon is so hard to get into, New York Road Runners has this system by which, if you run nine of their races plus volunteer at one of them - commonly called the 9+1 - you get guaranteed entry into the marathon.)

And also that last week our orthopedist told us we could run in six weeks.  Six.  Single digit numbers.  (I would have kissed him if his arrogance wasn't such a damn turn-off.)

So if this soup were our proverbial cake, that fig and walnut tapenade would be the icing.    (And it also just happens to be the perfect appetizer for the BIG DAY when served along with some goat cheese!)  And what a party it would be.  A healthy party, to be sure...but I think we're going to get enough unhealthy in about three days.  We can sacrifice a little now...especially when "sacrifice" tastes this good.



Rosemary White Bean Soup
Serves 6, adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried white cannellini beans
• 4 cups sliced yellow onions (about 3)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary
• 2 quarts veggie broth (I used this)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and soak overnight.  Drain.
2. Saute the onions in olive oil in a large stockpot over low to medium heat until they are translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook over low heat for three more minutes.  Add the drained white beans, rosemary, broth, and bay leaf.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are very soft.  Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Reheat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Fig and Walnut Tapenade
Serves 20, adapted from the Bon Appetit Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped dried Mission figs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 1/2 tsp rosemary, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Instructions

1. Combine the chopped figs and 1/3 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and figs are soft, about 7 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl.  Mix in olives, olive oil, vinegar, capers, rosemary and walnuts.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I am submitting this to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays and also to Chaya of  My Sweet and Savory for Meatless Mondays!

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway

Recipe: Swiss Chard, Chickpea and Tamarind Stew

I'm in the middle of a mid-Thanksgiving planning life crisis.

I almost bought six bags of cinnamon chips off Amazon yesterday.  (The red convertible of the Thanksgiving crisis world.  Obviously.)

This almost-spree was inspired by an unruly consumption of regular old chocolate chips that, in the middle of a chocolate-induced psychosis, seemed like they should really be the preamble to an unruly consumption of cinnamon chips.

Can we all breathe a huge sigh of relief that in my sugar stupor I somehow managed to grasp hold of my common sense and restrain myself?  We all know where those cinnamon chips would have ended up.  And, unfortunately, it would not be in a baked good of any sort and would totally be on my left hip.  My hips have enough issues as it is and they really don't need "cinnamon chip overdose" to be added to that list. For realz. 



Why the crisis?

Oh let me count the ways.



First, let's recount the Thanksgiving fail of yesterday.

I had every intention of being a good food blogger and presenting you today with a healthy vegetable side dish to grace your table that would make every last one of your guests feel so virtuous about eating it that they would then feel compelled to have an extra six slices of pie.  Cause that's what I do.  I'm all about balance.  Obvi.

Really, it was gonna be good.  There were gonna be concentrically arranged vegetables that were so carefully and artfully smushed into a 9-inch cake pan that you would think you were staring at an edible Jackson Pollack painting.

But there's a time and a place for everything, I guess, even to be let down by all of your favorite roasted orange vegetables.

That was handful of chocolate chips numbers one through six.

Let's go on, shall we?



Then, I spoke to my mother.

She said hello.

Handfuls seven through ten.  Pre-emptive stress-eating.  You understand.



After asking me six different times in six different ways when I was going to give her grandchildren and whether I ever really thought I was going to" meet someone" she then moved onto Thanksgiving.  At which point it became increasingly apparent that she and I have very different definitions of what a "vegetarian option" is.  To her...it involves chicken broth and pork.  To me it involves...none of the above.

Conclusion?  If I want to be eating anything next Thursday, I am going to have to make it myself.  And given just how successfully my last Thanksgiving planning attempt went...I should invest in Nestle.  (And close my Amazon account.)

Speaking of a balanced diet, stew anyone?  I think we'll be needing it.



This dish may be the epitome of all things healthy, but it, unlike my disgusting side dish attempt, does not skimp on flavor.  It is tart and a bit sweet from the tamarind and tomatoes...and so good that you'll actually find yourself wanting to eat your greens.  Fancy that.

Swiss Chard, Chickpea and Tamarind Stew
Serves 4, adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty

Ingredients

• 1 lb swiss chard (stalks and leaves), cut into 3/8-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 14 oz canned chopped plum tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and boiled until tender
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• salt and black pepper
• cilantro
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cups water

Instructions

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the chard for 2 minutes.  Drain in a colander.
2. Put the onion, caraway seeds and olive oil in a large heavy pan and saute on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and golden.  Add the tomato paste and stir as you cook it for about a minute.  Add the canned tomatoes, water, sugar, chickpeas, ground coriander, chard and some salt and pepper.
3. Add the tamarind.  Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes.  When ready, the dish should have the consistency of a thick soup.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. While the stew is cooking, put the quinoa , coconut oil and a bit of salt in a medium pan and set on a medium heat.  Stir to coat the quinoa with the oil.  Add the water and boil, then cover the pan with a tight fitting lit and leave to simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.
5. When ready to serve, spoon the quinoa into shallow soup bowl, creating a crater in the center.  Ladle some of the soup stew into the middle of each quinoa hole.  Finish with cilantro.

I am submitting this to Souper Sunday hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen!

 

Recipe: Avocado Nutella Swirl Muffins

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
 

Why yes, I AM trying to hypnotize you into getting out of your avocado rut this morning and working up the nerve to stir it into a baked good, swirl some nutella on top and call it breakfast!

How ever did you guess?

 

I think we can all agree that avocados are superb on things like sandwiches.  And burgers.  And in guacamole.

And eaten straight out of their skins with nothing but salt to flavor them.

(I may or may not have gone through a phase in college where that's what I ate first thing in the morning.  Every day.  For a month.  I was very, VERY full that month.)

   

But the thing about avocados is that they're so....green.

Which is what I happen to love about them.

However, the majority of people on this earth, especially children, seem to have a vendetta against green foods.  They throw them. They spit them up.  They plain and simple don't like them.

We need to do something about this.  Because not only are avocados delicious, but they are nutritional all-stars!  Just three slices of this creamy green fruit contains potassium, fiber, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, and B-complex vitamins that support memory and brain function.

 

Here's where these muffins come in.

No living breathing soul with a pulse is going to turn down muffins with a HUGE swirl of nutella on top.  No matter how green they are.

And really, these were so delicious and so NOT your typical green food that my coworkers devoured all of them without even once guessing that they were eating something good for them.

Aren't little white lies sometimes the best things on earth?

 

Do you have any fun, kid-friendly avocado recipes up your sleeve?  If so, then you should enter the Mini Chef Video Contest!

Starting November 14th, Avocados from Mexico is hosting a video contest for parents of children ages 5-15. All you have to do is submit a 1-3 minute video of your child/children preparing an avocado dish and be sure to have them include why they love avocados and the catchy Avocados from Mexico jingle found on their website. Videos will be judged on the Mini Chef’s personality and the presence of avocado.

One grand prize winner will receive $1,000 in cash (!!!) plus an HD Camcorder (for future home videos!), a Nintendo 3D, 2 games and a personalized Mini Chef jacket. Nine runners up win big too with an HD Camcorder, a Nintendo 3D and a personalized Mini Chef jacket.

If I had children, I would totally be all over this.

Get your video in by December 4th and check back on December 6th to see if your video is one of 10 finalists. Public voting will take place on YouTube December 6-11. The video with the most Likes wins and will be posted on the website December 12th.

So what are you waiting for, get avocado-ing!


   


 


 Avocado Nutella Swirl Muffins
 Makes about 16, adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/8 cup buttermilk
• 16 tsp nutella 

Ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Put cupcake liners in muffin tin.
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.  Set the eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature while you beat the butter and sugar.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until softened and pliable.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the avocado and beat another minute to incorporate.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after the addition of each egg.  Beat in vanilla extract.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, all of the buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour mixture.  Beat just until combined.
6. Pour into cupcake liners until they are about 3/4 full.  Put a dollop (about a tsp) of nutella on top of each liner full of batter and swirl around with a butter knife.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool for five minutes in pan and then remove to a wire rack.